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72
General Observations on the Work of the Infant Welfare Centres.
Infant Consultation Sessions are held by medical officers in all Centres in the afternoons from
2 to 4 p.m. At the Lancaster Road Centre there is a session held on Thursday mornings from
10 a.m. to 12 noon. At four Centres there are two sessions per week ; at Raymede Centre there
are two weekly sessions and one fortnightly; at Lancaster Road Centre three sessions per week;
and at Bramley Road there are three in addition to the weekly session at the Branch in Kenley
Street. The Centres are in every case fortunate in having very able and keen medical officers who
show considerable interest in their work.
Ante-Natal Clinics.—Special ante-natal clinics are held at every Centre but Goiborne, and
during the past year 118 sessions were held. At the Goiborne Centre, expectant mothers have
been seen privately on Infant Consultation days, but in the near future an ante-natal clinic will be
established at this institution.
The work of ante-natal consultations must grow as it becomes better known, and, in view of
the excellent arrangements made by the Voluntary Committees, it is to be hoped that more expectant
mothers will take full advantage of them, and thus remove as far as possible all danger of disease
and accident in their confinements.
Home Visiting.-—The Council's Women Health Officers receive all notifications of birth, and
these are transferred to History Cards. They pay " first visits " to infants in order to ascertain
certain information required by the Council in respect of births. If the mother of the child is in
regular attendance at an Infant Welfare Centre, the Health Officer transfers the History Card to the
Welfare Sister who pays the subsequent home visits. Apart from " first visits," the Council's
Health Officer confines her attention to cases not in attendance at Welfare Centres or to difficult
cases transferred back to her by the Welfare Sister.
Education in Health.—School medical inspections and Maternity and Child Welfare work
have revealed that large numbers of children are suffering from preventable ailments and defects
which are likely to impair their development and which are in a large degree attributable to'
insufficient knowledge of the simple rules of health on the part of mothers. It is this lack of
knowledge which the Infant Welfare Centres are especially designed to meet. For some years
past, lectures have been given to mothers by Women Health Officers and Welfare Sisters but these
ladies are not appointed as lecturers and, owing to the rush of work on consultation days, they
have experienced difficulty in finding suitable opportunities for addressing groups of mothers.
In order to meet this difficulty the Council in the early part of the year appointed on their
staff a Woman Health Lecturer, whose work is described on page 77.
Details Concerning Individual Centres.
Archer Street Infant Welfare Centre.
This Centre serves the southern part of the Pembridge Ward. Infant consultations are held
by the Medical Officer on two afternoons in each week and ante-natal and dental clinics are each
held twice monthly. Baths are provided for the mothers. In addition to these activities there
are Boot, Clothing, Blanket, Maternity and Denture Clubs connected with the institution. A
voluntary masseuse also attends at this Centre and massage treatment is provided free of charge.
Bramley Road Infant Welfare Centre.
This Centre serves the Norland Ward and part of the St. Charles Ward, and has within its
area one of the poorest districts in the Borough. It is the oldest of the Kensington Centres, having
been established as far back as 1907. In fact it is one of the pioneer centres in the Country. In
1919, the work of this Centre had grown to such an extent that it was found necessary to open a
Branch at the premises of the Kensington District Nursing Association in Kenley Street. Three
infant consultation sessions are held weekly at Bramley Road and one at the Kenley Street Branch.
Ante-natal clinics are held fortnightly. Arrangements are made for dental work to be carried out
at the Minor Ailment Centre which is conducted on the Nursing Association's premises in Kenley
Street Knitting and Sewing Classes are held weekly. There is a Maternity Club and Dental
Savings Bank.
The Infant Welfare work at Kenley Street cannot properly be developed to meet the needs of
Notting Dale owing to inadequate accommodation. With a view to removing this bar to progress,
the Council have purchased a house and shop next door to the Nursing Association premises, and
during the year the Maternity and Child Welfare Committee have conferred with the Committees
of the Bfamley Road Centre and the Nursing Association as to how the house and shop might
best be used. The question is still under consideration.
Campden Hill Infant Welfare Centre.
This Centre, to which the Holland Ward is allotted, is housed in splendidly equipped premises
which were specially erected for the purpose. Infant consultations are held twice weekly and
ante-natal clinics once monthly. Knitting and Sewing Classes are held weekly and baths are
provided for mothers. The Committee have an arrangement with a local dentist under which
mothers can be sent to his private surgery for dental treatment. Massage treatment is provided
at this centre, the Masseuse giving her services voluntarily.